India has a long history of using incense to cover up odors. Thus, in Buddhism, incense has traditionally been used to cleanse the body or present an offering to Buddha. Most incense burners are meant to be placed on a table, but there are also some portable versions designed to be held by long handles. The latter type first appeared during the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China (420-589 CE). Over time various forms and styles have been popular depending on when and where they were produced. Only part of the handle of this lotus-shaped burner remains; it must have originally had a long handle that could easily have been gripped with one hand. The handle splits into two “stems,” one of which curls up to support the blossom-shaped receptacle of the incense burner while the other curves down into the leaf-shaped base. The inscription on the base reads “year three of Daekang” (大康三年), which tells us that the burner was made in the year 1077, during the Goryeo Dynasty.